How to redesign your workspace to be your most productive in 2019

Productivity is always a hot topic, and you can find a plethora of tips and tools to help you get more done. If your workspace is running interference with your intentions, however, you could be derailing yourself without even knowing it. While certain elements seem like they’re fixed, almost anything can be changed in a space to help improve your productivity, says Anja Jamrozik, PhD, behavioral scientist and consultant for the flexible workspace provider Breather.

“The workspace is an underappreciated factor,” she says. “Everyone notices a loud coworker in the moment, for example, but on a broader scale, we often don’t pay enough attention to how it might impact us over the whole workday, week, or year.”

MATCH THE SPACE TO THE TASK

First, pay attention to the type of task you’re doing, and make sure your workspace supports it instead of making it more difficult. Different workspaces are good for different tasks, says Jamrozik.

“It’s easier to understand this when you think of the home environment,” she says. “You wouldn’t entertain in your laundry room, for example. In the office, it’s the same. The two most common types of tasks are focused work and collaborative work, and they need spaces that prioritize and optimize the setting for each.”

Open floor plans can be a challenge, so do what you can to mitigate the damage. For example, to take phone calls, you need space away from your desk so you won’t distract colleagues. You also need to define areas for collaboration.

At project management software platform Basecamp, for example, the company has library rules in its open-space corporate offices as well as rooms where collaboration happens.

“Libraries are really open-plan offices. Everybody knows how to behave in a library. They’re reading, studying, and thinking. We treat the office like a library, making quiet the norm,” CEO Jason Fried told Fast Company in 2018.

Having different spaces for different kinds of work can increase satisfaction and performance, says Jamrozik. “Take advantage of what you have, and move to an area that fits your task,” she says.